Top positive review

4.0 out of 5 starsNot bad. I trust this more than my GoPro4 Silver. Just wish it had audio.

Byfrenchyon October 29, 2015

(Updated 30 Aug, 2016: added a picture of what the suction cup mount looks like when used with this product; upper left corner)

I just got this camera and I must say I'm much pleased with it, though it does have a few minor problems. I got this to replace my GoPro4 Silver. I have the DashCam 35. A few things about this camera.

It has adjustable resolution of 720p and 1080p. It has a wide screen lens that puts your peripheral vision to shame. It does not have internal memory. It comes with a 4gb microSD card. You can use a microSD card up to 64gb. You can format the microSD card from the command screen. It runs in a loop. It is not touch screen. The screen is 3" across. There is a crosshair in the middle so that you can center it. You can choose kph or mph. Mine has twelve possible languages on it. English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Norwegian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian (for all of those crazy videos!), Finnish, Afrikaans, and Ukrainian (I'm guessing on that one). It starts recording as soon as you turn it on. It has a rear placed LED that clearly shows it's recording. There is a button you can press to "Save video clip".

It mounts to the front by using the socket located next to the lens (more on that later). It is compatible with Garmin Express. From Garmin Express you can download the Garmin DashCam Player video software, and any other updates. You can load Garmin Safety Camera data to it.

Your GPS data is displayed in small font across the bottom of the screen. You'll need to have about 20/10 vision to read it from back in your seat. It tracks your GPS location and speed.

Mount. Garmin screwed up here. The mount adheres to your windshield like a GoPro camera would--adhesive. This means you cannot move it from one car to another. The good thing is that this mount WILL NOT come lose! However, the other Garmin suction mount works just fine. It may obscure part of your view depending on the angle of your windshield. So if you get this dashcam, and want to move it from car to car, get that Garmin suction mount. Overall though, the included mount is not obtrusive. I had to use a RAM mount for my GoPros, and that thing was an eye sore.

USB input. Those bastards screwed this up. The female input slot should be turned in the other direction! The charger cable attaches via an L-shaped male USB input. Unfortunately, the way it plugs in has the cable protruding towards your windshield instead of coming out towards you and easily hanging down towards your 12V DC socket--if the female input was facing the other way. The manual states it can run for 30 minutes on its own power.

Record after power loss. When you turn off your vehicle, you can set this device to turn off in 1 second, 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute.

Night driving. The camera has pretty good light gathering capability. So driving at night, the image in your camera is actually brighter than what you see with the naked eye. I was pretty impressed. Much better than my GoPro4 Silver. I've also noticed that it has an auto-dim feature that darkens the screen while driving. I, at first, thought this annoying, but came to accept it as it has the benefit of looking as if it is off by those looking into your car, but you can clearly see that it's on.

Playback. You can playback from the camera. However, you can only view those videos [UPDATE 3 May 16] that it automatically saves (ie: notifies you on the screen that it just saved the clip) and those you manually SAVED by pressing the bottom button to save that clip. That is to say, you finish driving and press the bottom button, now you can view THAT clip from when it turned on, until you pressed the button. All other recordings--UNSAVED-- you can only access through the computer (Garmin software viewer). So if you do not press the bottom (save video clip) button, then the recording is still there, but you need to go through the program to view it. Files are saved in the MP4 format in 60mb clips. The Garmin software merges those clips together in larger segments that begin from when it turns on, until it turns off.

Overheating. This is a major problem with my GoPro4 Silver as it was with my GoPro3 Silver. Those cameras were always overheating and then shutting off. I have a Garmin Nuvi 56 which is rated at 140°F. It has never overheated on me. This camera is rated 131°F.

Proximity Warning. This feature warns you if you are too close to a car based upon your speed. I had mine set to medium. I was doing about 60mph and about four cars back from a car in front of me. The entire screen would turn red with a car and radar icon (you can see no recording), and stay that way until it deemed I was far enough back. I got home and turned this feature off!

Audio. No audio! Needs to record audio. Recommend some of the other Garmin items if you want audio.

Good camera over all. Garmin needs to fix the USB input (rotate it counter-clockwise, down 90°), include a suction mount, and add audio.

*****

I just got the UK version and it does record audio (you can turn this feature on or off). It's in one of the drop down lists. It also came built in with the traffic camera subscription for Western Europe. I do not recommend getting this feature with either dashcam. When you hit a safety/radar camera zone, just like the collision warning, it beeps, the entire screen goes red and fills with "Fixed Camera Zone", etc. It does not tell you where it is at, but just that one is in the vicinity. I turned it off. It still films, but I did not like my screen going solid red, or grey, or whatever. The video captures this. The cameras are at the 20 second mark on the left and right sides of the road.

I've uploaded a video of the UK version. It's the UK version--with audio. I give the UK version 5 stars. I found the sound quality to be outstanding.

Top critical review

3.0 out of 5 starsA good dash cam with some design issues, and the traffic camera notification costs extra.

ByR. N. Frenchon November 15, 2015

Overall this is a very solid dash cam. As background, I've had a Garmin Dash Cam 20 for about a year. I'm putting that camera in my wife's car and I bought the 35 for mine. I'm a big fan of Garmin products. The build quality is very good, the unit is compact and lightweight and setup is quick and easy. Video quality at 1080P is excellent and the camera adjusts to changes in light conditions smoothly and well. Night videos are clear and usable. This is a good, reliable choice if you want a no hassle dash cam.

So why just three stars? Garmin did some fairly boneheaded things with this unit. As many others have noted, the US version of this product has no audio recording capability. My Dash Cam 20, which Garmin still sells, can record audio and it can be turned on and off in the setup software. If you live in Europe it comes with a microphone. Why on earth Garmin would remove the feature is beyond me. Perhaps someone from Garmin's Automotive Marketing team, who are surely not liking the ratings this product is getting here, will comment and enlighten us.

Another design flaw with this camera is the mount. On my Dash Cam 20, the ball mount socket is on the top of the unit. On the 35, they put it right next to the lens. The ball on the suction mount that Garmin sells snaps into the socket just fine (both are 17mm) but because of the placement of the socket, the suction mount itself partially blocks the lens. This isn't a problem with the included adhesive mount, but if you want a Garmin suction mount you're out of luck. I actually called Garmin customer service to ask about this before I bought the unit and was told it would work just fine. And it does, if you don't mind losing about 40% of the field of view of the camera.

I liked the idea of having the red light camera and speed camera notification. It's not a big deal for my commute, but it's a nice feature. I assumed it would work out of the box. Fortunately, I read the product FAQ on Garmin's website and found out that it's a subscription service that has to be activated and paid for separately, at $29.95 per year. The sales copy doesn't explicitly say it's included (like the free map updates that have been included on Garmin GPS's for years) but it also doesn't let you know that it's extra. That's not the kind of honest marketing I expect from Garmin.

These are all unforced errors on Garmin's part. This is a good product from an engineering standpoint but it does not live up to the high design standards I expect from Garmin. And the head fake on the camera notification is really inexcusable for a reputable company like Garmin

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Overall this is a very solid dash cam. As background, I've had a Garmin Dash Cam 20 for about a year. I'm putting that camera in my wife's car and I bought the 35 for mine. I'm a big fan of Garmin products. The build quality is very good, the unit is compact and lightweight and setup is quick and easy. Video quality at 1080P is excellent and the camera adjusts to changes in light conditions smoothly and well. Night videos are clear and usable. This is a good, reliable choice if you want a no hassle dash cam.

So why just three stars? Garmin did some fairly boneheaded things with this unit. As many others have noted, the US version of this product has no audio recording capability. My Dash Cam 20, which Garmin still sells, can record audio and it can be turned on and off in the setup software. If you live in Europe it comes with a microphone. Why on earth Garmin would remove the feature is beyond me. Perhaps someone from Garmin's Automotive Marketing team, who are surely not liking the ratings this product is getting here, will comment and enlighten us.

Another design flaw with this camera is the mount. On my Dash Cam 20, the ball mount socket is on the top of the unit. On the 35, they put it right next to the lens. The ball on the suction mount that Garmin sells snaps into the socket just fine (both are 17mm) but because of the placement of the socket, the suction mount itself partially blocks the lens. This isn't a problem with the included adhesive mount, but if you want a Garmin suction mount you're out of luck. I actually called Garmin customer service to ask about this before I bought the unit and was told it would work just fine. And it does, if you don't mind losing about 40% of the field of view of the camera.

I liked the idea of having the red light camera and speed camera notification. It's not a big deal for my commute, but it's a nice feature. I assumed it would work out of the box. Fortunately, I read the product FAQ on Garmin's website and found out that it's a subscription service that has to be activated and paid for separately, at $29.95 per year. The sales copy doesn't explicitly say it's included (like the free map updates that have been included on Garmin GPS's for years) but it also doesn't let you know that it's extra. That's not the kind of honest marketing I expect from Garmin.

These are all unforced errors on Garmin's part. This is a good product from an engineering standpoint but it does not live up to the high design standards I expect from Garmin. And the head fake on the camera notification is really inexcusable for a reputable company like Garmin

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

(Updated 30 Aug, 2016: added a picture of what the suction cup mount looks like when used with this product; upper left corner)

I just got this camera and I must say I'm much pleased with it, though it does have a few minor problems. I got this to replace my GoPro4 Silver. I have the DashCam 35. A few things about this camera.

It has adjustable resolution of 720p and 1080p. It has a wide screen lens that puts your peripheral vision to shame. It does not have internal memory. It comes with a 4gb microSD card. You can use a microSD card up to 64gb. You can format the microSD card from the command screen. It runs in a loop. It is not touch screen. The screen is 3" across. There is a crosshair in the middle so that you can center it. You can choose kph or mph. Mine has twelve possible languages on it. English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Norwegian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian (for all of those crazy videos!), Finnish, Afrikaans, and Ukrainian (I'm guessing on that one). It starts recording as soon as you turn it on. It has a rear placed LED that clearly shows it's recording. There is a button you can press to "Save video clip".

It mounts to the front by using the socket located next to the lens (more on that later). It is compatible with Garmin Express. From Garmin Express you can download the Garmin DashCam Player video software, and any other updates. You can load Garmin Safety Camera data to it.

Your GPS data is displayed in small font across the bottom of the screen. You'll need to have about 20/10 vision to read it from back in your seat. It tracks your GPS location and speed.

Mount. Garmin screwed up here. The mount adheres to your windshield like a GoPro camera would--adhesive. This means you cannot move it from one car to another. The good thing is that this mount WILL NOT come lose! However, the other Garmin suction mount works just fine. It may obscure part of your view depending on the angle of your windshield. So if you get this dashcam, and want to move it from car to car, get that Garmin suction mount. Overall though, the included mount is not obtrusive. I had to use a RAM mount for my GoPros, and that thing was an eye sore.

USB input. Those bastards screwed this up. The female input slot should be turned in the other direction! The charger cable attaches via an L-shaped male USB input. Unfortunately, the way it plugs in has the cable protruding towards your windshield instead of coming out towards you and easily hanging down towards your 12V DC socket--if the female input was facing the other way. The manual states it can run for 30 minutes on its own power.

Record after power loss. When you turn off your vehicle, you can set this device to turn off in 1 second, 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute.

Night driving. The camera has pretty good light gathering capability. So driving at night, the image in your camera is actually brighter than what you see with the naked eye. I was pretty impressed. Much better than my GoPro4 Silver. I've also noticed that it has an auto-dim feature that darkens the screen while driving. I, at first, thought this annoying, but came to accept it as it has the benefit of looking as if it is off by those looking into your car, but you can clearly see that it's on.

Playback. You can playback from the camera. However, you can only view those videos [UPDATE 3 May 16] that it automatically saves (ie: notifies you on the screen that it just saved the clip) and those you manually SAVED by pressing the bottom button to save that clip. That is to say, you finish driving and press the bottom button, now you can view THAT clip from when it turned on, until you pressed the button. All other recordings--UNSAVED-- you can only access through the computer (Garmin software viewer). So if you do not press the bottom (save video clip) button, then the recording is still there, but you need to go through the program to view it. Files are saved in the MP4 format in 60mb clips. The Garmin software merges those clips together in larger segments that begin from when it turns on, until it turns off.

Overheating. This is a major problem with my GoPro4 Silver as it was with my GoPro3 Silver. Those cameras were always overheating and then shutting off. I have a Garmin Nuvi 56 which is rated at 140°F. It has never overheated on me. This camera is rated 131°F.

Proximity Warning. This feature warns you if you are too close to a car based upon your speed. I had mine set to medium. I was doing about 60mph and about four cars back from a car in front of me. The entire screen would turn red with a car and radar icon (you can see no recording), and stay that way until it deemed I was far enough back. I got home and turned this feature off!

Audio. No audio! Needs to record audio. Recommend some of the other Garmin items if you want audio.

Good camera over all. Garmin needs to fix the USB input (rotate it counter-clockwise, down 90°), include a suction mount, and add audio.

*****

I just got the UK version and it does record audio (you can turn this feature on or off). It's in one of the drop down lists. It also came built in with the traffic camera subscription for Western Europe. I do not recommend getting this feature with either dashcam. When you hit a safety/radar camera zone, just like the collision warning, it beeps, the entire screen goes red and fills with "Fixed Camera Zone", etc. It does not tell you where it is at, but just that one is in the vicinity. I turned it off. It still films, but I did not like my screen going solid red, or grey, or whatever. The video captures this. The cameras are at the 20 second mark on the left and right sides of the road.

I've uploaded a video of the UK version. It's the UK version--with audio. I give the UK version 5 stars. I found the sound quality to be outstanding.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Finally installed the Dash Cam 35 in my 2016 Honda Pilot and I love it. The video is clear and I have no issues with it. I love the high quality nature of the product and I'm glad I got this over some no-name alternative that seem to be full of fake reviews.

As others have mentioned, there is no audio in dash cam. Before you dismiss this Dash Cam, ask yourself if you really need audio recording. If your dash cam also records audio in your car (or has a second lens recording the inside of your car), you need to inform the people you’re driving with about the recording or it can be considered wiretapping. I don't understand why anyone would want audio in their recordings, especially if you're using this camera to protect yourself against other drivers (in an accident). The audio can only hurt your ability to use the video you've recorded. Say someone crashed into you and it looks like it's their fault but on the recording it sounds like you were distracted with something something else at the time of the accident. You probably won't be able to show that video to the police officer at the scene of the accident since it might partially implicate you for contributing to the accident. You could edit the audio out later on but by that time the officer will have finished his police report. As far as I know, you cannot appeal what the police report says and in this scenario you might end up paying for your own car damages rather than having the other driver pay for your damages since it was his fault.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

The camera has been in operation for about three weeks now. This camera is a high-quality product. Great resolution, great video angle, and I love the longitude latitude, date and speed that is displayed in small text in the lower left of the screen. This camera is easy to mount and simple to operate. Great device. I would purchase this product again. Five stars!

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

The Garmin Dash Cam 35 is far and away better than my last dash cam, but it's not perfect. It was simple to install and set up. Good thing, because it cam with almost no instructions. You can download a manual and software, assuming you have internet service.

I like the sticky mount, but I wish it also came with a suction mount. I also wish the camera had a release to make removing it from the mount easier. Image quality is very good. I did have one instance when I started the cam and got a white screen. It may have been recording. I just don't know. A simple restart fixed it, so I will have to keep an eye on it.

It is easy to mark clips to watch later. I love that it shows my speed and location. Field of view is great without distortion. I do recomend a big memory card if you drive a lot. So far I am very happy with the camera.

Update: after a few qeeks of frequent use the camera has again failed to start once more. It has also failed to turn off when unplugged several times. This forcew me to either leave it running or turn it off manually, after which it always restarts and must be turned off manually a second time. This is a big waste of time and makes me loose faith in it's reliability.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Camera works great. Should have the suction screen mount as standard. Would have given 5 stars if it did. Had to buy a third party mount separately. Camera saved me on an o'seas trip. I had the recording of returning my rental car to the airport after hours. An employee took the car and used it for two days on my credit card. Took a few months to get them to agree that it was their own employee, but the Garmin video of our time and date stamped return was the clincher and the Credit Card bank forced them to pay it all back. Then I went after the real company...

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

I like it, except for the following issues:1) Mounting options are limited, it comes with a stick to your windshield mount with is almost permanent, so plan on ordering several. For suction cup mounts, the Arkon GoPro mount with 17mm ball adapter will work, although the mount is then twice the size as the dash cam. Also, the Arkon GN079WD will work as well although it works best if you want to mount the dash cam from the bottom of your windshield than the top. I plan to take a hack saw to my GN079WD mount and modify it so it will work better from the top.2) The power cord is too SHORT to route from the top of my windshield around the side of the windshield and down to the power plug. I was hoping that I could extend it with a mini USB extension but then the dash cam asks if you want to use mass storage when it powers up, so I've settled with using a 12v cig. lighter extension instead.Otherwise, it seems to be a nice dash cam, although it does not record sound, but I don't care about that.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

So far so good. 1,500 miles in 3 days. I'll update if issues develop.NOTE: The supplied mount is adhesive and requires 70 degree F. to adhere. I used an older Suction cup from a prior Garmin GPS since we had winter temperatures. It is very difficult to mount so that the mount doesn't partly block the view.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

It's comforting having a dashcam on the Semi again after our other one, not a Garmin, crapped out after 5yrs.This one does not record sound, so, you can Cuss all you want about the Idiot drivers around you.